Japan's Nikkei 225 opened down 153.79 points, or 0.23%, at 65,862.57 on Monday, Aug. 24.

The Hawk wildfire in the northern suburbs of Reno, Nevada, spread rapidly early this morning from the Sierra Nevada foothills toward downtown, burning more than 10,500 acres. Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for nearly 14,000 households.

Kyobo Securities analyst Choi Bo-young said Samsung Electronics’ 2026 shareholder-return package, which the company estimates at 90–110 tln won, may be below market expectations; investors had priced in up to 140 tln won. Samsung says the package would be its largest ever, but the analyst judged it unlikely to deliver a “surprise” for shareholders. Samsung approved a Q3 dividend distribution of 30 tln won and launched a 15 tln won buyback earmarked for employee compensation; details of further shareholder-return measures will be announced later.